When the Journey team begins working with a new business, one of the first things we ask the business owner is, “Who is your target market?” Unsurprisingly, the popular response is, “Everyone”.

Let’s start with a hard truth. I can promise you that your product or service won’t appeal to everyone. Not only that, trying to market your product to everyone is going to kill you financially. So here is a basic question for you. Who is most likely to go for what you’re trying to sell? Is it…

Men or women or both?

Younger people, older people or both?

People in a certain area of the world, country, state, city or neighborhood?

People who earn a specific level of income?

People who are single or married? Have kids or don’t?

People who have completed a certain level of education?

Let me give you an example. Let’s say I am launching a makeup company that only uses ethically sourced, organic materials and contains no chemicals. My cheapest product is a lipstick, which retails for $18. Everything is American made.

From that basic information, I can segment my audience down using a few assumptions:

I sell makeup, so my target market will mainly be women.

My price point is higher than average, so I can assume my target market will probably be women who are at least 30 years old with a higher than average income.

As women get older, their loyalty towards the brands that they love becomes cemented and they’re less likely to try something new. So I am going to assume that my target market probably tops out at about 45 years old.

My products are American-made so clearly, the American market is my focus. But because some of my points of differentiation are “organic” and “ethical”, it’s likely that my target demographic will be women who have exposure to and an interest in environmental and wellness trends. I might assume that women who are tapped into these trends are more like to live in bigger cities, or in affluent, adjacent neighborhoods.

My product is not specific to marital or family status, so I’m going to skip this one for now.

Again, because of my price point and my point of difference, I can assume my target market will be college educated.

So now we’ve gone from “Everyone”, to:

Women

Aged 30-45

From affluent neighborhoods in and around major cities

Who earn an above average income

Who are college educated

Who actively care about the environment and their own personal wellness

Now you give it a try. If you get stuck on one question, ask yourself what type of customer you can assume would be attracted to your product or service. For instance, in my example, I got stuck on marital and family status. But when I really think about it, I know that women who have children tend to reduce spending on luxury items in order to put their kids needs first. This is, of course, a massive generalization, but if I think about who I really need to target for my brand, I can clearly see that single and/or married women with no children might be more likely to purchase a high-end luxury product than a woman whose priority is her children's comfort over the lipstick she wears.

I can make other determinations as well. For instance, if I know my target customer cares about the environment and her own wellness, I can probably assume that she eats healthy, shops in upscale grocery stores, and exercises several times per week. Also, since she likely lives in or near a big city and earns an above average income with a college degree, I might be able to deduce that she has a professional job, possibly in a management role, or that she owns her own business.

So now we’ve gone from “Everyone” to:

Women

Aged 30-45

From affluent neighborhoods in major cities

Who earn an above average income

Who are college educated

Who actively care about the environment and their own wellbeing

Who don’t currently have children

Who eat healthily, shop in upscale groceries stores, and exercise several times a week

Who have a professional job or own a successful business

Hey, we’re getting somewhere! Now that we know a bit more about our target market’s personal demographics, we can begin to think about how we might be able to find and attract her with our marketing efforts. So, as an example, I might think about:

Create ad placements that specifically target women who fit into my categories such as an Instagram campaign showing women who become transformed with beautiful, natural makeup.

Write a blog series on LinkedIn where we know we can find professional women aged 30-45 and educate them on the adverse effects of chemical based makeup.

Research events in my target geographic locations where I might find my customers, such as farmers markets, yoga workshops or fitness events.

Look to partner with bigger, more well-known brands that also attract my target market for smart co-promotions such as mini makeovers or skincare education classes.

You get the idea.

When you start a business, no matter what kind of business it is, you have to begin by defining who your customer is, how they live their lives and why your product or service suits them to a tee. Once you know and understand that customer, you can begin creating a communications plan that targets outreach to the people who matter most to your brand. So start by throwing "everyone" out the window, and spend some time getting specific on the people who are going to benefit from your product or service. If you’re stuck on where to start, we are always here to help. Feel free to get in touch.